Headwall regrade under way

Project part of the $16 million mountain improvements

A pair of bulldozers move mountains of dirt on upper Headwall as part of the regrading project.

Larry Pierce/courtesy

A bulldozer works on the regrading of the Headwall area at the base of the ski mountain. The Headwall chairlift, pictured here, will be dismantled to make way for the new six-passenger Christie Peak Express.

Steamboat Springs  A total regrade of the Headwall area at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area is under way.

The project - which is part of the $16 million on-mountain improvements planned for the 2007-08 season - began last week and is expected to run through the summer and into the fall.

The regrading kicked off a busy summer for the Headwall area. The construction of the new Christie Peak Express, a six-passenger, high-speed lift, will begin later in the summer. Excavation for the towers and the top terminal already has begun.

Other improvements on Headwall include the dismantling and removal of the Southface and Headwall chairlifts, realigning the Preview lift, utility work on the south side of the Headwall property and groundwork just below the Bear Claw property.

The regrade will turn the Headwall area into three new and distinct runs.

"This will offer a more gentle slope for beginners and first-timers," Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. spokeswoman Heidi Thomsen said. "It spaces things out a little more and offers people more options. It will improve the guest experience here at the resort."

The construction will take place from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Thomsen said although Headwall is completely closed to the public, there are clearly marked corridors for hikers and bikers to access the Gondola Building.

"We definitely want to emphasize for guests to be aware of signs and yellow tape - anything that indicates construction - and to not cross over or through those areas," she said.

Hiking and biking access from the base area are marked with designated trails, Thomsen said.

All closures of the area are subject to change, Thomsen said, depending on where construction takes place.

A new 18-hole disc golf course also is open at the base of the Thunderhead lift. Thomsen said Ski Corp. worked with the Steamboat Area Disc League to find a suitable place to put a course. The course is free and open to the public.

Parking for all guests visiting the base area is available in either the Gondola Square parking garage or the Knoll parking lot. Kids' Adventure Club drop-off and pick-up short-term parking is provided Monday through Friday in the Gondola Square parking garage. Special event and wedding parking also is available in these locations.